Cons

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  • Definitions and terminology vary in resilience theory and research[1]
    • It is difficult to conceptualize.
    • It is difficult to operationalize in research.
    • "Resilient" children can succeed in some areas and struggle in others and these dimensions must be specified.
    • It is difficult to figure out the best indicators of the other factors must be taken into account (severity of the trauma, types of stressors, etc.)
    • It is difficult to compare individuals in a study and come up with a "conclusion," because of the variability of their personal experiences.
    • It is difficult to be objective.
  • Resilience may be content- and context-specific. [2]
    • Individuals may thrive in the face of one circumstance but fail under the stress of another
    • There are generally small sample sizes within individualized studies, which makes it difficult to generalize across populations.
  • Studies are often routed in empirical research and less so in theory.
    • It is argued that the idea of resilience adds nothing to the overall theory of development.
  • Resilience Theory can negatively affect parenting[3]
    • Parents may give children everything they want so they do not "suffer."
    • Parents may become over protective to prevent their child from struggling.
    • Parents may inadvertently teach their child selfishness and irresponsibility by trying to protect them from life stressors.
  • Resilience theory shows promise, but needs to be used with caution.[4]
    • It should not be viewed as the only predictor of school success as other student factors contribute.
  1. ^ Luthar, S.S., Ciccheeti, D., Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71(3),543-562. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1885202/.
  2. ^ Fergus, S., & Zimmerman, M. (2005). Adolescent resilience: A framework for understanding healthy development in the face of risk. Annual Review of Public Health, (26), 399-419. Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/~whw2380/438 Spring
  3. ^ Resilience Research Centre. (2012). Articles from the media. Retrieved from http://resilienceresearch.org/families-and-schools/media.
  4. ^ Doll, B., Jones, K., Osborn, A., Dooley, K., Turner, A. (2011). The promise and the caution of resilience models for schools. Psychology in the Schools, 48(7),652-659. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=eeb424f1-3e09-4245-b6c2-dba1ff9f8321%40sessionmgr12&vid=21&hid=3.